First of all, Happy New Year!
I took off two weeks. I can’t tell you what a difference a long break can make. I got some real sleep, too. So, I guess that’s what rest feels like.
Now, I’m back at it; reading the news. Not a lot has changed.
Coronavirus
Let’s start with the Covid Pandemic. There is great concern about a surge in cases post-holiday. I fear we are about to see some scary numbers—scarier than they have been.
With that said, there is great news and hope on the vaccine front.
Despite criticism of a slow rollout, more people are getting the shots. There is a new one in the arsenal, too. The Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine is now being given in Britain. The BBC reporting an 82-year-old dialysis patient was the first to receive it. What makes the Oxford vaccine different from its predecessors is that it doesn’t have to be stored in such cold temperatures.
Politics
To politics. It’s the election season that will not end. Where to start?
Okay, several Republicans are planning to protest the Electoral College certification on Wednesday. It’s not expected to make a difference, but should be quite a show.
President Trump is getting a lot of flack about this leaked phone call to the Georgia Secretary of State. The Washington Post reports the President asked him to “find” enough votes to allow him to win the state. The Post has the audio of the call.
Speaking of Georgia, the Senate runoff race happens there Tuesday. It results will decide which party controls the US Senate. It’s a big deal with a lot of money being spent. Some of the worst political ads I have ever seen in this race, too.
It’s turned very, very ugly.
I just don’t know where this is going to end. Inauguration Day, January 20? We are as divided as we have ever been in this country. No idea how to fix it either.
That’s where I start the week. Covid and politics. Seems like old times. Happy New Year.